Miura-Class Spaceplane
The Miura is an unmanned 2nd generation SSTO spaceplane developed by VVA. The Miura is a space plane developed heavily from the Block V Agera-Class Spaceplane. While the Agera is a rocket only spaceplane, the Miura-Class is a combined rocket and jet engine SSTO. Using the revolutionary RAPIER engines, the Miura-Class accelerates to Mach 4, before pitching up to 55km. The Miura fires it’s 3 KS-25 Vector engines (the same rocket engines used on the Agera), and ascends to orbit. The Miura is significantly smaller than the Agera, and has been marketed by VVA as a lower cost alternative then the Agera for smaller payloads. As such, the Miura has been employed primarily in delivering low weight satellites and other payloads to orbit. Due to the lower cost of operation, the Miura has been built in larger numbers then the preceding Agera. 4 Spaceframes were constructed. While the Agera has been sold too and solely operated by KASA, 2 of Miura spaceframes have been retained by VVA as a commercial craft to be launched. 2 of the Spaceframes were to be retained and launched from VVA’s Dessert Spaceport. However, the Miura-Series has so far been exclusively used by KASA, and the 2 spacecraft retained at the VVA’s main base have since moved to the KSC. The 4 Craft of the Class is the flagship Miura, along with the Countach, Aventador, and Veneno. The Miura was originally a non-orbital test prototype, called the CCE. The Miura was later converted into to orbital specifications and flown on spaceflights. Design History The Miura originates from a VVA proposal to replace the challenged Agera shortly after the failure of the Regera during SST-008. Many of the initial developments for the Block V upgrade had its roots in the Miura Proposal. Due to the typically unmanned launches of the Agera, the Miura was positioned as a lower cost unmanned alternative for launching smaller payloads to orbit. Agera’s payload bay had the capacity for anything smaller then 2.5m. Much of this space wasted during the launches of the smaller TSS module launches. The Miura's were to be dramatically cheaper, with a faster turn around time. The Miura was to have the same size cargo bay, but with a significantly lower overall payload capability. So it could carry large, lightweight payloads into LKO. However, the Miura program became an even larger technical nightmare then even the Agera. By the time the first Miura reached orbit, the TSS had been completed. As such, the Miura's original purpose had all but vanished. Not only that, but the design had been modified so much that the actual cargo bay was drastically reduced in available space. Anything much larger then 1.5m in diameter would not fit, and anything longer then 7.5m would not fit. This drastically reduced the payloads the Miura would be capable of putting into orbit. However, with the increase in commercial launches for programs, VVA continued to invest in the project. VVA decided to produce 4 examples, 2 would be delivered to KASA, while 2 would be used for commercial launches. Since the market for commercial launches never materialized to VVA's hope, VVA wound up selling its last 2 airframes (Aventador and Veneno) to KASA. Category:Spaceplane